LOS ANGELES – The defense in Phil Spector’s murder trial on Monday called one of its most highly touted forensic experts, who told jurors that blood spatter from a gunshot wound can travel up to six feet.

The testimony by Stuart James is critical to the defense claim that Spector was too far from actress Lana Clarkson to have shot her but not so far that he could not get a small amount of blood on his jacket if she shot herself.

Clarkson, 40, died from a gunshot fired in her mouth on Feb. 3, 2003.

However, during a lengthy cross-examination, prosecutor Alan Jackson led the expert to acknowledge that under another theory of blood spatter analysis, Spector could have been standing about two feet from Clarkson when blood spattered on his jacket.

The prosecutor stood about two feet from the witness to illustrate his point.

James, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., scientist who lectures around the world and has written a book on bloodstain pattern analysis, showed jurors photographs from his book including one depicting blood spatter produced by a high-velocity mechanism such as a gunshot.

“At six feet you are still getting millimeter-size stains or less. Even small droplets can travel that distance,” he said.

“Did you ever suggest that (blood) back spatter is limited to three feet or less?” asked attorney Linda Kenney-Baden.

“No,” said the witness.

But James said he has never specifically studied intra-oral gunshot wounds because “You see so few of them. Intra-oral gunshot wounds are not that prevalent.”

In her questioning, Kenney-Baden reminded jurors that a key prosecution witness, sheriff’s criminalist Lynne Herold, said she had taken one of James’ courses on blood spatter. She gave the opinion that blood spatter could travel only about two-to-three feet.

Clarkson died while seated in a chair in the foyer of Spector’s mansion. James analyzed bloodstains on the arm of the chair as well as on her black slip dress and Spector’s white coat.

At one point, Kenney-Baden walked up to the witness, held out her arm and put her finger to his mouth at point-blank range, asking if a bloodstain on the back of one arm of Spector’s jacket would be consistent with someone shooting in that position.

“No,” said James. “That would not be consistent with that position.”

Later, Deputy District Attorney Pat Dixon belatedly rested the prosecution’s case two weeks after the defense began. Prosecutors wanted to present final testimony on a persistent issue in their case – whether the defense withheld a fingernail-size white object allegedly found at the scene.

Lead sheriff’s investigator Richard Tomlin identified items turned over to prosecutors after defense forensic expert Henry Lee searched Spector’s residence. There were carpet fibers, dried blood and a piece of bloodstained carpet cut from Spector’s foyer, but no fingernail-size object.

The defense denies any such item was found.

Defense scientific witnesses have said that taking a piece of the bloodstained carpet was essential to analyzing the scene, but Tomlin said that unlike Lee, his investigators didn’t take their own sample.

“No,” said Tomlin. “I believe a sample was taken of the blood. We’re not going to try to destroy a person’s home.”

Monday’s session was marked by the return of defense attorney Bruce Cutler, who was absent for three weeks while shooting a TV show in which he plays a judge.

He told The Associated Press he may have to leave again to finish the show.

“I only missed 11 court days,” Cutler said cheerfully. He has said he plans to deliver the defense closing argument for Spector in spite of his absence during much of the defense testimony.

Spector, 67, revolutionized rock music recording decades ago with a technique that became known as the “wall of sound.” He is charged with murdering Clarkson after she went home with him from her job as a hostess at the House of Blues nightclub. Her most famous role was in the 1985 cult film “Barbarian Queen.”

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